1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a multimedia output apparatus and a multimedia system comprising the same, and more particularly, to a multimedia output apparatus comprising an interface that is capable of receiving a video signal and an audio signal from both a first multimedia source that transmits a video signal and an audio signal individually through individual interfaces and a second multimedia source that transmits the video signal and the audio signal in a combination through the same interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multimedia system comprises a multimedia source, such as a digital video disc (DVD) player, a digital broadcast receiver (e.g., set-top box), or the like, to transmit a multimedia signal, and a multimedia output apparatus, such as a television (TV) or the like, to output the multimedia signal received from the multimedia source.
An interface is typically provided between the multimedia source and the multimedia output apparatus to enable data to be transmitted and/or received therebetween. Recently, a digital visual interface (DVI), a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), etc., has been used as the interface.
Here, the DVI and the HDMI are compatible with each other through a conversion cable, so that it is possible to connect a multimedia source having the DVI with the multimedia output apparatus having the HDMI.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams illustrating a conventional multimedia output apparatus having an HDMI port to which a multimedia source having the HDMI (hereinafter, referred to as the “HDMI source”) and a multimedia source having the DVI (hereinafter, referred to as the “DVI source”) are connected through cables, respectively.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, when an HDMI source 100 is connected to an HDMI port 112 through an HDMI cable 102, a transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) signal is transmitted from the HDMI source 100 to a multimedia output apparatus 110 through the HDMI port 112. Here, the TMDS signal transmitted from the HDMI source 100 contains both a video signal and an audio signal.
The TMDS signal is input to an HDMI integrated chip (IC) 114 used as a decoder. The HDMI IC then divides the TMDS signal into the video signal and the audio signal. The video signal and the audio signal are then input to and processed by a video processor 116 and an audio processor 118, respectively.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when a DVI source 200 is connected to the HDMI port 112 through a DVI-HDMI cable 202, the TMDS signal is transmitted from the DVI source 200 to the multimedia output apparatus 110 through the HDMI port 112. Here, the DVI is an interface capable of only transmitting the video signal without the audio signal; therefore the TMDS signal transmitted from the DVI source 200 only contains the video signal. As a result, when the TMDS signal transmitted from the DVI source 200 to the HDMI port 112 is input to and decoded by the HDMI IC 114, only the video signal is output.
That is, when a user connects the HDMI source 100 to the HDMI port 112 of the multimedia output apparatus 110 as illustrated in FIG. 1, both the video signal and the audio signal are output. However, when the user connects the DVI source 200 to the HDMI port 112 of the multimedia output apparatus 110 as illustrated in FIG. 2, there arises a problem that only the video signal is output.